BUIES CREEK, N.C.- Not only did Brandon Scott drive in the go-ahead
run in the bottom of the eighth, but he shut the door in relief as
Campbell mounted a late inning rally to beat the visiting Lipscomb
Bisons by a score of 11-8, Thursday evening at Taylor Field.
Campbell (19-34, 12-19 A-Sun) has scored ten or more runs in just
five contests this season.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth and the bases loaded,
Scott broke an 8-8 tie with a line drive to left field scoring
Stephen Parsons from third who singled to lead off the inning. Ryan Hamme issued Campbell's
final blow with a two run single up the middle to finalize the
score at 11-8.
Although he wasn't credited with a win, Hamme had his second
consecutive solid outing as he threw six innings allowing just two
earned runs. The junior
from Wilmington, N.C. scattered ten hits, struck out two and walked
just one. Scott (3-4)
picked up the win after twirling two scoreless innings of
baseball. Scott struck out
two and didn't surrender a walk.
Despite facing Lipscomb's best two pitchers in Rex Brothers and
Brandon McClurg, Campbell stroked ten hits and scored three late
runs to hand McClurg (6-5) his fifth loss of the season. McClurg, a junior right-hander
from Hendersonville, Tenn., hurled 4 1/3 innings and allowed four
runs.
Campbell saw seven different players collect RBI highlighted by the
first three hitters of the order. Scott, Ellis Lowe and Hamme combined
for five hits, six RBI and two runs scored. Scott leads the team in RBI with
44.
Lipscomb (27-26, 18-13 A-Sun) had an extremely productive lineup as
each of its nine batters notched hits and four grabbed multi-hit
performances. Jorge
Gutierrez, Allen Bolden and Branden Cadavid had a pair of hits,
while Shane Simpkins grabbed three. In addition, Caleb Joseph launched his
team-leading 14th homer of the season.
After Lipscomb scored single runs in the second and third thanks to
an RBI single by Cadavid and a long ball from Joseph, Campbell
scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take an early 7-2
lead. In an inning where
Campbell sent 12 batters to the plate, both Scott and Lowe reached
twice and five different players had hits. The back breaker was a bases loaded
infield single by Lowe in which Lipscomb's second baseman Ben
Williams overthrew the catcher and allowed John Watlington to score
from second after singling.
Zach Johnson, Parsons and Watlington also knocked in runs in the
inning.
The Bisons got to Campbell's bullpen and clawed its way back
posting a pair of runs in the sixth, three in the seventh and one
in the eighth. In the
sixth, Lipscomb capitalized on an error by Campbell's Watlington at
third base as Justin Sanders smoked a one-out double and scored on
the Camels' mistake.
Williams drove in Simpkins with a liner up the middle to cut
Campbell's lead to 7-4.
After plating three runners in the seventh thanks to an RBI single
by Blake Bratcher and a two RBI single by Ryan Wilkins, Lipscomb
tied the game in the eight with a single run. Williams reached after walking and was
moved to second on a Gutierrez sacrifice bunt. Bolden took a first pitch offering and
singled through the left side to tie the game at eight each.
Campbell kept its A-Sun tournament hopes alive after scoring three
runs in the bottom of the eighth. Scott sat the Bisons down in
order in the ninth to secure Campbell's 12th league victory of the
season.
The victory is just the fourth time this season Campbell has taken
the first game of a three game A-Sun series. Campbell's only series victory after
winning its first game came against East Tennessee State. Campbell proceeded to sweep the
Buccaneers.
Campbell concludes its 2008 home schedule with a doubleheader with
Lipscomb tomorrow (May 16) at Taylor Field. The first pitch is slated for 1
p.m.
